


Sharing is Caring

by JustaHogwartsGirl



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: M/M, One Shot, Soulmate AU, solangelo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-03
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2019-07-06 11:10:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15884847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustaHogwartsGirl/pseuds/JustaHogwartsGirl
Summary: In a work where soulmates feel each other's strong emotions, sharing is caring.





	Sharing is Caring

**Author's Note:**

> Just a cute little fic about Will and Nico

Will gasped suddenly at a shock of pain and dropped the bandages he was holding. The girl he was treating looked at him quizzically. "You okay?"

He fought back a grimace. The girl had full-body burns from slipping off the climbing wall. She shouldn't be asking if her doctor was feeling well. 

"Um, yeah." Will grabbed a fresh roll of bandages and started to measure out a length for her arm. His hands were shaking and he felt faint. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired, I guess." He shot her a smile. 

The girl coughed a little. "Um, no."

"What?"

"You're not coming near my raw, blistering skin. You look like you're about to pass out and puke at the same time."

"That's disgusting." And pretty much exactly how he felt. 

Kayla came over to see what the delay was. She took one look at Will and ordered him to the Apollo cabin. When Will protested, she reminded him that sick doctors could hurt sick patients. 

Will's vision was getting splotchy as he walked to the cabin and he had to stop a couple times to catch his breath. The pain was overwhelming. When he finally got to the door, he couldn't open it. The door wasn't locked. Will's hand just passed straight through like a ghost's. 

Now the panic began to set in. He tried again and managed to hold the doorknob, but lacked the strength to open it. What was happening? Luckily, Austin opened the door from the inside, ready to go off to archery. 

At this point, the pain was so bad that Will felt tears springing to his eyes. Austin noticed. "Hey, bro. What's wrong?"

Will gasped for air and went inside to lay on his bed. Austin followed, archery forgotten. Will felt himself sliding in and out of consciousness, the pain numbing. "I don't know," he mumbled. "It hurts."

Austin slapped his cheek. "Hey, stay with me. What happened?"

"I was working and then all this pain. And I wasn't solid."

"All the sudden?" Austin asked carefully. 

Will groaned a 'yes.'

Austin squeezed his hand. "Well done, little brother. I think you've found your soulmate." 

Austin explained that at a certain age (dependent on the person) you start feeling whatever strong emotions your soulmate is feeling. Happiness, sadness, pain, etc. You have the connection all your life, but it gets more bearable when you and your soulmate are together. 

Will could barely understand the words. By the time Austin finished his explanation, Will had lost consciousness. 

————

"Why are you so peppy today, di Angelo?" Reyna asked Nico. The boy was like a younger brother to her. After traveling together for days, she thought she understood him. But apparently not. 

Nico was cheerfully eating the doughnuts Coach Hedge had bought. Nico never ate unless prompted. He was chatting with the sweet old lady who had approached them. Normally, he would've hid or drawn his sword on her. Nico shrugged as he turned back to Reyna. "I don't know. It's a nice day."

Nico didn't know what was going on with him. He had a habit of instantly assuming the worst and hiding in the shadows, but it was as if somebody was aiming a spotlight at him. No, not a spotlight. A huge, blazing sun, getting rid of all his shadows. He was acting cheerful, sure. But he wasn't too happy about being happy. Nico fought off the sparkly, hazy feeling long enough to talk to Reyna properly. 

"Something's wrong."

Reyna was immediately by his side. She never smothered him with care, but he never asked for help. There was definitely something wrong. "What?"

"I'm being forced to be happy," he complained. 

She just gave him an exasperated look. 

"No, I feel like I'm being controlled from the outside. Reyna, I hate being controlled."

She nodded her understanding. "How old are you, Nico?"

He wasn't exactly sure. It had been awhile since he kept track. "Fourteen? Maybe fifteen."

Reyna smiled a little. "What do you know about soulmates?"

Nico's overly excited heart jumped for glee at the word. He tried to breathe normally. Being taken over like this was awful. Reyna explained soulmates to Nico, blushing slightly. It was a tricky business, she told him, full of feelings and true love. Reyna wasn't a big fan of either one. 

Nico felt his giddiness fading (thank the gods). It was replaced by skepticism. Surely soulmates were only for people like Percy and Annabeth. Two people who were so good they deserved happiness. 

———

Will couldn't get out of bed. He tried to diagnose his soulmate's condition to pass the time. They were definitely dehydrated and malnourished. For some reason, Will would become almost transparent if he stayed in the dark too long. He drank lots of water, ate healthy food, and asked the Hephaestus kids to build him a giant sum lamp. Will prayed that his soulmate was receiving some of the benefits of these treatments. 

It was likely that Will's soulmate had bad anxiety. On days when he could muster the strength, Will would put on music and paint until he was in a good mood and he felt the pain melting away. Hopefully his soulmate felt the same way. On those days, Will would help in the med room as long as he could. He always left before he reached a state where it would be unhealthy for him to be around patients. 

He was lucky that he was in the Apollo cabin. His siblings were able to help him. Most other campers were at the age where they would find soulmates. Some felt pain every once in a while, or sadness, or happiness. Austin explained that the feeling had to be strong and pure to reach your soulmate. Most campers would meet somebody in the mortal world, where they weren't living so dangerously. Will was the only one who passed out on a regular basis from his soulmate. He wondered who it was. He wondered, mostly, how somebody could endure such pain first-hand. 

——-

Nico's skin was once shaded olive, tanned from Italian sunshine. Then it got paler as he started interacting with the dead. Now, effort from shadow traveling made his skin almost blueish. He could see the outlines of bones in his thin limbs. 

The presence of his soulmate was helping him somewhat, he could tell. Sometimes he felt not-so hungry or not-so thirsty and he knew his soulmate was make an effort to help Nico. Or maybe, an effort to help himself. (Nico had decided that the soulmate was definitely a guy. There was no way he could ever love a girl like that.) His soulmate felt everything he felt, after all. 

Nico felt an unfamiliar stab of guilt. He was used to the pain, but he knew he had almost died several times. His soulmate had to struggle through all of that. 

Reyna roused Nico from his thoughts. "We'll be in Camp Half-Blood soon," she told him. "Then you need a doctor."

Nico grumbled as was expected, but the truth was that he usually couldn't see because of the pain. He was relieved to be stopping soon.

——-

"Quick, somebody's coming!" 

Will stuffed an ambrosia square in his mouth and ran out with the others. The pain would return worse than before, but it would be worth it. 

He was lined up with his friends on Half-Blood Hill, barely standing upright. Ambrosia didn't work too well on soulmate connections. 

A girl with longish, tangled hair pulled into a messy bun stepped forward first. She held her hands up and walked slowly, but Will could tell she was dangerous. Next, a small, pale boy with shaggy black hair stumbled forward. His eyes flicked warily from person to person like he was trying to decide who would kill him first. When his dark eyes met Will's, they both held the connection for a moment. Then they both collapsed. 

————

Nico woke slowly. It felt like he was underwater, trying to figure out which way was up. He could hear people talking, but not clearly. Their voices were garbled. Nico was used to struggling through the pain and waking up quickly to get his bearings. Now, he had no idea where he was. 

Nico was being touched, he could tell. Small, soft hands brushed hair back from his forehead. Hands that felt large and rough scooped him up. Nico could tell in his halfway sleep that he was being moved. He tried even harder to wake up and tell them he hated being touched. 

Nico's eyes finally agreed to open and his muscles agreed to kick whoever was holding him. The impact didn't seem to do much, except make the person give a deep, rumbling laugh. "Okay, kid. Let's get you to Will."

Nico wondered who this Will was and managed to mumble out a question that was almost understandable. 

The person holding him just laughed again. Nico couldn't remember the last time he heard a real, genuine laugh like that. "You'll see."

———-

Will stood up when he saw Nico come in. He was almost scared to ask the question. "Is he... okay?"

Austin put Nico down on a cot. "He's not dead. It took him a lot longer to wake up than it took you, though. Probably because yours is just secondhand from your soulmate. This kid is lucky to have survived."

Will nodded. He had spoken with Reyna after he woke. She had told him about some of her and Nico's travels, but Will knew there was a lot she kept hidden. It wasn't just luck; Nico was tough. 

"Has he woken up at all?"

"Kind of. He's groggy and disoriented. You're usually pretty good at sorting that stuff out."

It was true that even after Will's hands got too shaky, he would talk to the patients. It seemed to calm them. "Sure."

Austin left and Will was alone with Nico. The dark haired boy was tossing in his sleep. Judging by the way his face creased up and the strange, mumbling noises he was making, Nico was having a nightmare. Will started to touch his shoulder and gently shake him awake the way he normally did. Then he remembered what Reyna had said about Nico and physical contact. More specifically, he hated it. 

Instead, Will took Nico's blanket. He felt bad for exposing Nico to the cool air, but he needed to figure out what was wrong with his patient. Also, Nico needed food and water. Some sunlight probably wouldn't hurt him either. 

Nico jerked awake at the loss of heat and fell off the bed. The sudden impact made him stand quickly. His hand went to his hip, where a sword would normally be. Will stifled a laugh at the confused expression on Nico's face. One of Will's siblings had cleaned Nico's various scratches and replaced his burned, torn, and bloodied clothes with a Camp Half-Blood shirt and sweatpants. 

"Where is my sword?" Nico asked. Despite the sleep in his eyes and his messy bed head, he seemed alert. 

Will held up his hands. "With the rest of your stuff. It's safe, I promise."

Nico looked down and realized for the first time that he wasn't wearing his own clothes. A red blush spread across his pale cheeks. "You changed my clothes?" His voice seemed threaded through with quiet anger. 

"The doctors who took you over here had to change your clothes to tend to your wounds and keep you healthy. It's purely professional, you have nothing to worry about." Many patients had similar concerns, so Will rattled off the same answer he did with all of them. 

Nico wobbled on his feet and Will lunged forward to catch him just as he collapsed. Nico gave him a look that seemed more annoyed than angry. "Let me go."

Will let go, but Nico started to slide back to the floor again. Will secured his grasp and put Nico back on the cot he'd fallen off of. 

"What was the last thing you ate?" Will asked once Nico was situated. 

Nico frowned. "Ambrosia."

Will shook his head. "Real food."

There was a long pause, as Nico struggled to remember. "Doughnuts, I think."

Will passed Nico a drink made with plenty of nutrients, as well as a little ambrosia. "Drink as much as you can."

Nico quietly sipped at his drink. Will hummed and sorted through some supplies. When he was done, he went to sit across from Nico, notepad in hand. "Full name?"

Nico just gave him a confused look. 

Will sighed. "I need to fill out an information sheet so that we can make sure your treatment stays regular."

Nico just frowned again. "You want all my information?" He sounded worried. 

"No. Just things that will help us when we're helping you. Like I'll make a note that you dislike being touched, so they'll avoid that when possible."

"Why do you want my last name?"

"Protocol."

Nico rubbed the back of his neck in a weary gesture. "Nico di Angelo."

Will smiled as he wrote it down. "Italian?"

"Yeah." Nico's expression was closed off, but Will didn't pay any mind. 

"Cool. Did you grow up there?"

"Yeah. I looked a bit different back then." Nico looked down at his pale, bony hands and forced a smile.

Will flicked his gaze over Nico. "When's your birthday?"

He couldn't remember at first. It had been a while since the day of his birth had mattered. "January 28th."

Will counted on his fingers. "What year were you born? You're probably... fourteen or fifteen, right?"

Nico shook his head and laughed bitterly. Will moved on. "Reyna said you're a son of Hades. Is there anything we should make arrangements for?"

"I don't eat human corpses, if that's what you're asking." 

Will smiled. "It wasn't. I mostly meant in terms of sunlight. You're very pale. I wasn't sure if sunlight was bad for you, or if you're just sick."

"Reyna and I travelled at dark for certain reasons."

"What were those reasons, if I may ask?"

Nico wasn't sure if he should tell Will about shadow traveling. It wasn't something that he exactly kept secret, but it made other people uncomfortable. "I have a gift from Hades that allows me to manipulate the shadows to bring me places."

Will didn't say anything for a moment. Then his eyes lit up. "Like teleporting?"

"Sure."

"How much energy does it take?"

Nico closed his eyes. "A lot. Usually I pass out afterwards."

"So you haven't been eating and you've been teleporting around until you pass out? No wonder you're so sick. Any symptoms other than dizziness, hunger, fatigue, and loss of consciousness?"

"Sometimes I become less solid? It's hard to explain. Stupid really. Just forget it." Nico didn't like the weirdly intense way Will was staring at him. 

"So sometimes you have spells where you can't touch solid things and you become see-through? Maybe when you spend a lot of time on the dark?"

"Exactly. Does everyone get them? I thought it was from shadow travel."

"I don't know anybody else who gets them. You say it only happens when you shadow travel?" 

"Yeah. You have to become a shadow, kind of. And when I do it a lot, I don't return completely to flesh and blood."

Will wanted to point out that Nico was more bone than flesh, but refrained. He was more interested in thinking about his soulmate. Will's soulmate had the same symptoms as Nico. Only children of Hades could shadow travel and Nico was the only child of Hades. So could Nico be his soulmate?

"Nico, I hope you don't mind me asking. I know this is kind of personal and you don't have to answer. Do you know if you have a soulmate yet?"

Nico's face turned red. "Yeah, I think so."

"If I told you I knew who it was, what would you say?"

"You're wrong."

"What? No, I'm pretty sure..."

"Does the person go to this camp? Blond hair?"

Will was impressed. "Yeah."

"You're wrong. It can't be Annabeth."

"Nico, I didn't-"

"Will, I like guys." The second the words came out of his mouth, Nico buried his face in his hands. He didn't mean to say that. 

Luckily, Will didn't make a fuss. "I wasn't going to say Annabeth."

Nico paused. "Huh?"

"If I told you that I knew a blond guy who went to this camp and was your soulmate, would you want me to tell you who it was?"

"Not Jason Grace?"

Will shook his head. 

Nico looked at Will shyly. "Is he a good guy?"

"Yeah, I would say so."

Nico nodded. "Tell me."

Will gave Nico a bowl of broth. "See if you can keep this down. Then we'll move you to solids."

Nico took the bowl and carefully took a couple sips. Will took a deep breath. "Okay, so I think I'm your soulmate."

Nico spilled some of the soup on himself. Will cursed under his breath and grabbed a towel. The soup was warm but not scalding, so Nico wasn't burned. "Sorry, I didn't think that through very well. Are you okay?"

Nico just looked like a deer in the headlights. Will grabbed a fresh pair of sweatpants from the storage room and helped Nico off the cot. When Nico realized a change of clothes was in order, he pushed Will away. "I can do it myself."

Will frowned. "It's part of my job."

Nico just crossed his arms. "Turn around, please."

Will turned. Nico seemed strong enough. If he wasn't, Will was still right there help him. 

There was some noise behind him as Nico fought for his balance. Finally, Will felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around. "I did it," Nico told him. He was trying to keep his voice casual, but Will could see his proud smile. 

"Good for you. Would you like some more soup?"

"No. I wanna go back to what you said minute ago."

"About soulmates?"

Nico shook his head. "No, about you being my soulmate."

"Yeah." Will rubbed the back of his neck. "I've been passing out and becoming less solid and all that. You're the only child of Hades, right? So you're the only one who would have the effects of shadow traveling. I don't think it could be anyone else."

Nico gave him a careful look. "That's a very reasonable way of looking at it, I suppose. How do you actually feel, though? About all this?"

Will had been looking to Nico as a doctor to his patient, not as a romantic interest. With a bunch of hormonal teens treating other hormonal teens, doctor-patient relationships couldn't end well. 

Now, Will looked at Nico as a soulmate. His dark was messy and shaggy, which Will quickly decided was adorable. He was already built to be on the smaller side, both in height and weight. However, Will could see that Nico's travels made him unhealthily skinny and perhaps stunted his growth. Will was already making feeding plans in his head. Nico's eyes were amazing, shards of black and different shades of brown all combining. 

"You're beautiful," Will said quietly. He hadn't meant to say it aloud, but it was true. 

Nico's eyes grew wide. He wasn't much for unnecessary chatter. Instead of stuttering an answer, he just fidgeted with the hem of his shirt. "That's not what I meant," he said finally. "We don't have to end up with our soulmates."

"Okay?"

"Think about it, Will. I know that you know about the depression and the anxiety attacks. I just hope you like more than the idea of soulmates."

"I do. Nico, I can't say how much you've been through, but I know it was a lot. And the fact that you're still alive means you're stronger than anybody else I know. Please. I love more than the idea."

Nico gave him a tentative smile. "Really?"

Will grinned. "Yeah, really."

"So was it you that was making me happy?" Nico asked. 

"Oh, did that work? When you were in a bad mood, I would try to get really happy about something and pass on to you."

"Yeah, it worked. But it made me feel really panicky and out of control."

Will's whole face creased in concern. "I'm so sorry."

"You didn't mean to scare me. Besides, I think you did help. Once I got my connection to you, I felt a lot more... substantial. Less like I'm about to melt into the shadows."

"Was that a legitimate concern?"

"Disappearing?" Nico shrugged. "I knew what I signed up for."

Will nodded. "Yeah, about that... I also know what I signed up for."

Nico raised an eyebrow and motioned for Will to continue. 

"I need your consent to move you to a different doctor."

Nico's expression became guarded. "What do you mean?"

"I've been passing out and such, so I haven't gotten any real patients in a while. They just send me the people who need to talk or be kept on bed rest. Like you."

"But you want me with a different doctor."

"Yeah. Doctors can't date their patients. So I find myself in a bind here." Will smiled. 

Nico's eyes widened. "Yeah, cool. I'll switch."

Will laughed at the answer and took Nico's hands. "Just know that I would kiss you right now if I could." 

Nico felt his breath hitch in his throat. "If you want to call another doctor in here right away, feel free."

**Author's Note:**

> It makes me really happy that people are reading this and enjoying it. Thanks, everybody!!


End file.
